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This is one of the earliest towns in Ukraine, first mentioned around 1060 as a Slavic town controlled by Lithuanians, but evidence suggests that the Dacians and later the Trypillians had lived there in prehistoric times. The town is a natural crossroad for trans-Carpathian and trans-Ukrainian trade, which attracted Polish, Germans, Armenians, Lithuanians, Jews, Ukrainians, Russians and Romanians to live here until World War II, its genocides, and its ethnic cleansings. Now, the town is almost exclusively Ukrainian.

A large fortress was built here to watch over the River Smotrych and some evidence suggests that a fortress has existed on this natural outcropping of rock since 2 millennia ago.

Buses from Chernivtsi, Vinnitsa, Lviv or Kiev take 1.5, 4, 5 and 6 hours, respectively. The buses from Kiev cost around 85 UAH but can faster marshrutkas (minibuses) can be 100 UAH from Vokzal (the railway station) in Kiev. The buses from Chernivtsi are not as frequent as Lonely Planet may lead you to believe. The buses from Vinnitsa are rare but exist.

If you plan to go to the spectacularly located castle in Khotyn on your way to or from KP and Chernivtsi, you can visit it in route as it sits almost exactly on the route between the two cities.

There is train service to Kiev via Khmelnitsky taking 6 hours, but arriving/leaving at awkward times. A better option is the night train, which takes 12 hours.

Kava u politsmeystera (Coffee from a Policeman) - not far from the fortress, nice design. Waiters speak English. You have to take the menu from and order on the bar, the order will be brought to your table. "Coffee Ice Cream" is worth trying. Although the name suggests that coffee is the main drink here, you can have a good dinner as well. Prices: dinner for 2 persons ~180 UAH.